Knife-wielding man kills 2, injures 18 in southwest China

PUBLISHED Mon, May 29, 2017 - 3:35pm EDT

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A man believed to be suffering from a mental illness went on a stabbing rampage in southwest China, killing two people and injuring 18 others, local authorities said on Monday. The suspect was taken into custody. (more)

The incident happened at around 3:17 p.m. local time on Sunday when police were called to reports of a stabbing with multiple victims at an intersection in Zhenning Autonomous County, which is located in Guizhou province.

The county's public security bureau said a total of 20 people had been stabbed and all were rushed to a local hospital, where two of them were later pronounced dead. The 18 survivors were said to be in a stable condition on Monday afternoon.

The suspect, 30-year-old Chen Guangliang, was taken into custody though there was no immediate word on a possible motive. The suspect's father told investigators that Chen has a history of mental illness, the bureau said.

Prior to the stabbings, Chen is accused of having tried to set fire to a petrol station, CCTV reported.

China, which has strict gun control, has seen a number of violent attacks involving knives in recent years. Seven people were stabbed to death in 2014 when a man went on a stabbing spree in his village in central China, just a day after 8 children were stabbed at an elementary school elsewhere in the region.